Turkey Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

Turkey pot pie with puff pastry is a perfect pot pie for your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. This lightened-up skillet pot pie is made with lots of fresh veggies, lean protein, and a flaky puff pastry crust to keep it reasonably healthy, easy and delicious!

this recipe

Pot pie is a perfect fall comfort food. With tender turkey, fresh veggies and buttery puff pastry in every bite, this homemade turkey pot pie has all the flavor of the classic. You would never guess that this is a lightened-up version that’s actually reasonably healthy! With no butter or heavy cream in the filling, and no bottom crust, this pot pie is a homey and comforting fall meal that you can feel good about.

This easy pot pie is chocked full of lean protein and fresh veggies. This recipe uses cooked turkey breast (the perfect way to use up your leftover Thanksgiving turkey!), but you can substitute rotisserie chicken for an easy weeknight meal. Using store-bought puff pastry for a lattice crust cuts way down on prep time, making homemade pot pie actually possible any night of the week! The best part of this easy dinner? Only one dish to clean! 

For more one-pot comfort food classics, check out my deconstructed lasagna, ground chicken stroganoff, and zuppa toscana. For more leftover turkey recipes, try my cranberry turkey salad. 

You Will Love This

• Puff pastry turkey pot pie is a perfect hearty meal for cool fall nights, 
• This healthier version of classic pot pie has no cream or butter in the filling, and only a top crust, for lightened up comfort food your whole family will love. 
• This recipe is a great way to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients

To make turkey pot pie with puff pastry you need the following ingredients (full ingredients list with exact measurements is included in the recipe card below):

Ingredient Notes

• Turkey: I used cooked turkey breast for this recipe, but you could also substitute leftover chicken for a perfect chicken pot pie.
• Veggies: Onion, celery and carrots are important for the classic flavor of this pot pie (check out your fresh produce section to see if they have some pre-chopped mirepoix if you are short on time). You could substitute the potatoes and peas for corn, green beans, or even sweet potatoes for a unique flavor! Or, toss in a bag of frozen mixed vegetables to keep it easy. 
• Store-bought puff pastry: Puff pastry usually comes in a box with two puff pastry sheets. This recipe just uses one sheet, so you can leave the other sheet in the freezer for later! The puff pastry should be cold, but not frozen, when you put it on top of the pot pie. I cut it into strips and then store the strips in the refrigerator until I’m ready for them. You could substitute pie crust if you’d like, but you will need to bake the pot pie at a lower temp for a longer time. I would recommend 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, but check the instructions on your pie dough!
• Chicken broth: Vegetable stock or turkey stock would also work well!
• Optional butter or egg wash: This helps the crust turn a nice golden color as it bakes.

Instructions

Step One: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove one sheet of puff pastry dough from the freezer and allow it to defrost enough to unfold. Cut the puff pastry into 12 long strips. Store the puff pastry strips in the refrigerator while you make the pot pie filling.

Step Two: Prepare the meat and vegetables. Dice the onion, celery and carrots. Mince the garlic. Peel the potato and chop it into bite-sized cubes. Cut the turkey into bite-sized cubes, or shred it.

Step Three: Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, minced garlic and potato, and sauté about 5 more minutes, until the vegetables are tender-crisp.

Note: If you don’t have an oven proof skillet, you can make the filling on the stove top, and then transfer it to a baking dish before adding the puff pastry top. I of course recommend the skillet if you have one – one less casserole dish to clean is always a good thing! 

Step Four: Add the turkey, kosher salt and Italian seasoning, and stir well to combine. 

Step Five: Pour 2 cups of chicken stock into the skillet, and bring the stock to a simmer. 

Step Six: Combine the remaining ¼ cup stock and the cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk until no lumps remain. This is a cornstarch slurry. Pour the slurry into the simmering skillet and stir until the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick gravy.

Step Seven: Add the frozen peas to the skillet and stir. Taste the filling and season with salt and black pepper to taste. 

Step Eight: Place the puff pastry strips on top of the filling, and weave them into a lattice with 6 vertical and 6 horizontal strips. Brush the top of the puff pastry with melted butter or whisked egg, if desired.

Step Nine: Bake the pot pie in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the filling is hot and bubbly, and the pastry is lightly golden brown. Allow the pot pie to cool at room temperature for a few minutes before serving, and enjoy!

Storage

Pot pie is generally best eaten right away. The puff pastry crust can get soggy after storage and reheating. If you have leftovers, I recommend removing the crust and storing just the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can serve this with crusty bread, or even add a bit of turkey broth or chicken broth upon reheating to make a pot pie soup!